The chemicals used to treat water in a swimming pool create contaminants that may be harmful to swimmers and others present within an enclosure housing a swimming pool (e.g., a natatorium). The water in the swimming pool also creates water vapor (i.e., humidity) within the swimming pool facility. The contaminants (e.g., chloramine) can irritate the eyes and air passages of individuals in and around the pool area. The contaminants such as chloramine are present in the air within the swimming pool enclosure, but are concentrated in an area immediately above the surface of the swimming pool. Unfortunately, greater amounts of chloramine are created when the swimming pool is in use due to swimmers agitating the water (e.g., swimming and splashing). Moreover, the high humidity within the enclosure creates an uncomfortable environment for individuals and can affect the physical structure (e.g., girders and roofing) forming the enclosure (e.g., corrosion).
Moreover, the high humidity formed within the enclosure housing a swimming pool requires that a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system run almost continuously to circulate and dehumidify the air contained within the enclosure. In addition, the HVAC system runs nearly continuously to circulate the air in order to avoid high concentrations of contaminants in the air.
Prior art FIGS. 1-3 illustrate previously disclosed deck drain gutter assemblies (20) for installing along a pool perimeter (10). The gutter assemblies include conduits formed by sidewalls (16A, 16B), lower wall (15), and grate (21). One of the conduits is a filtered pool water return tube (11) that replenishes the pool in an ongoing filtration system, and another conduit may be a contaminated air removal conduit, designated in FIG. 1 as a perimeter plenum (12) that transports air to a contaminated air removal exhaust system (13), as shown in FIGS. 2-3. Each perimeter plenum (12) defines an exhaust port (22) through which contaminated air proximate the pool, especially above the surface of the pool, is forced toward the perimeter plenum for transport by the exhaust system (13) to an outside area or an air filtration system.
An HVAC system directs air pressure onto and/or across a surface of the pool to force the above noted contaminated air into one or more of the exhaust ports (22). FIG. 2 illustrates that the perimeter assembly incorporating the perimeter plenum (12) and exhaust ports (22) may evacuate air from areas all the way around the pool perimeter, such as when an HVAC system directs air pressure from the top down, and the exhaust system (13) draws contaminated air into the exhaust ports (22). FIG. 3 illustrates that the HVAC system may incorporate air duct configurations that direct air pressure from only one, or any number less than all, of the number of sides of the pool and push the air into exhaust ports (22) installed on other sides of the pool perimeter plenum.
It is desirable therefore to reduce the levels of contaminants and humidity within the enclosure housing a swimming pool. Moreover, it is desirable for swimming pool facilities to improve the efficiency of the HVAC system in order to reduce costs associated with circulating, filtering, and dehumidifying the air within the swimming pool facility.
Accordingly, the present invention addresses the requirements for an energy-efficient apparatus and method for evacuating contaminants and water vapor from a swimming pool facility.